Glare dimmer



Dec. 2, 1924. 5 1,517,455

1J. B. PRIESTHOFF GLARE DIMMER Filed Feb. 16. 1923 l INVENTOR .T0/NY B. PH/ESTHOFF' p Patented ec. l2, 1924.

JOHN B. rmns'riiorr, or xoxomo, INDIANA, AssIeNon or cnn-HALF 'ro GEORGE WILKEN, or Laromn, xENrUcKY.

.GLARE Application led February To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN B. Pmnsrrrorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kokomo, in the county of Howard and State of lndiana, Ahave invented new and useful Improvements in Glare Dimmers, of which the'followingv is a specification.

This invention relates to glare dimmers and is designed primaril for usel in connection withthe wind s Lield of .anl automobile for dimming the rays of light from an approaching machine, the prime feature of the invention. being the provision of a -foldable shield portion which maybe extended when in use or folded when not in use.-

A furtherrfeature Aof the invention is the provision of means for operating the shield 5 portion ofRthe device for opening or closing the same.

A further feature of the invention `is the provision'of means for attaching the device to the wind shield and in such manner that the dimmer will not obstruct the vision of the operator when not in use'.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully setvforth and. pointed out 'j in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanylng drawings which are made a part of this application;

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a wind shield with the dimmer applied to use.

f Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the dimmer.`

' Fig. 3 is a sectionalview thereof as seen on line 3-3 Figure 2. v

F1gure4 is an elevation of a slightly i modified meansfor Operating/ the dimmer,

and i A Fig. 5 isan'edg'e elevation thereof. Referring'to the drawings, 1 indicates a wind shieldi for an' yautomobile which may be of` any preferred construction, to vthe frame 2 of whichl is attached the housing 3 of the glare dimmer, the housing being secured to the frame in any appropriate manner.

Extending transversely through the housing 3 is a shaft 4, upon which is pivoted one end of a plurality of arms or ribs 5, and attached to ksaid ribs is a shield portion 6 of any suitable material, such as. will dim or entirely exclude the rays of light from. an approaching vehicle, and preferably con s ists of a section" of fabric, although sections of Celluloid or similar material maybe used.

DIMMEB.

1e, 1923. serial No. 619,486.

ends secured'to the housin whilel the oppo -site end 8 thereof-is hooke beneath the ribs 5,`` whereby the'tension of thel'spring will raise all of said arms or ribs when the lowermost rib is released.-

The ribs 5 are held in their extended or operative positions 4by means of a spring tonguev9, said tongue terminatin in a plate portion 10 which is fixed to le shaft 4 and has a shoulder, 11 for limiting the u -V ward movement of the lribs 5, while t e tongue 9,is provided with an offset 12 for holding .the ribs in their operative or extendedpositions- Any suitable means may be provided for manually moving the ribs and shield portion to operative position, *such as a knob 13, while a push pin 14 is attached to the free end of the tongue 9 and extended through the housing 3 so that by applying inward pressure on the pin, the odset portion of thc tongue will be removed from the path of the lowermost rib 5, when the spring 7 will return all the ribs and the shield portion to clearer vision directly forward ofthe ve-,T

hicle.

In operating this form of device, the knob 13 is grasped and a downward pull directed thereon until the lowermost rib interlocks with the offset 12, the shield being then held in operative position any desired length lof time. When the shield is to be vreturned to itsY inoperative position, lnward pressure 1s remove the offset 12 from the path of the rib 5, whereupon thespring 7 will return the ribs and shield ortion'` to inoperative posifor 'the tongue 9 and plate portion 10, said 'cam being substantiallyheart-shaped, thus is dispensed with and a cam 15 substituted directed against the-push pin .14, which will providing a pair of opposed camfaces 16 and 17 at its upper end and a tapered terminal .18 at its lower end. Cooperatin with the cam is a vertically movable p un 'er 19, mounted slidably through arms o a ybracket 21, which bracket is in turn secured to parts of the housing 3.

Extending laterally from the plungerw19 is a pair of studs 22 and 23, one of which is adapted to engage the cam faces 16 or 17 and the other the tapered terminal 18, for rotating the cam 15 and swinging the ribs 5 to operative or inoperative positions. The plunger 19 is normally held in elevated position by means of a spring 24, which is cam face 17 and rotate the cam 15, this ro tati-ng action swinging the ribs 5 to partial operative position or a sutlieient distance to swing the terminal 18 beyond the stud 23 so that when the pull on the plunger 19 is released, the spring 24 will elevate the plunger and continue the rotation of the cam 15 until the ribs 5 have been moved to their full operative positions.

This leaves the cam 16 in position to be engaged by the stud 22 when an additional downward pull is directed on the plunger, consequently the cam 15 will be reversely rotated and the ribs and shield portion returned to inoperative position. As best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the cam faces 16 and 17 are so constructed that the stud 22 will pass slightly beyond the center moved to operative position or returned to inoperative position.

What I claim is:

1. YIn a glare dimmer, a shaft, a plurality of ribs pivoted on said shaft, foldable material connected to said ribs for forming a shield, a plate fixed to said shaft, a shoulder thereon for limiting the upward movement of said ribs, a curved spring tongue extending from said plate, an offset in said tongue adapted to engage the forwardmost rib for holding the shield in extended position, means for releasing the shoulder from the rib, and means for returning all the ribs to collapsed position. f

2. Ina glare dimmer, a housing, a shaft fixed in said housing, a plurality of ribs pivoted on said shaft, foldable material connected to said ribs for forming a shield when the ribs are extended, a plate fixed to said shaft, means on the plate for limiting the upward movement of said ribs, an arcuate spring tongue extending from said plate in juxtaposition to the line of travel of said ribs, an offset in said tongue adapted to engage one of the ribs for holding the shield in extended position, a push pin adapted to release the shoulder of the tongue from the rib and a spring for returning all of the ribs to collapsed position.

In testimony whereof I hereto aliix my signature.

JOHN B. PRIESTHOFF. 

